Family is Love
by ABCfan
Summary: Continuation of the season 9 finale.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's anatomy. Nor do I own any of the characters. This is a continuation from when the season 9 finale left off. Please feel free to leave comments about how you like the story. I haven't written fanfic in a while and want to try to get back into it.**

Meredith smiled up at Derek as he held Zola, Derek Bailey safely in her arms. "Derek Bailey Shepherd." She said proudly. "God he's so perfect." She whispered so only Derek could hear her.

Derek smiled back down at her and their son. "Mmm , you're pretty perfect, too. Considering the circumstances, you stayed pretty calm. You still amaze me after all this time." He said, handing her the flowers he had gotten for her.

"I was going to get you something more worthy of you giving birth to our child, but in this storm it's the best I could do." He said smiling at her, the giant bear for Derek Jr. at the end of the bed. Derek smiled a little, sadness in his eyes for a few seconds. "Mark would be so proud, a boy in the Shepherd family. Someone we could take to ballgames. He would have spoiled his nephew rotten."

Meredith smiled at him. "You miss him today." She said. She missed having Lexie there, knowing she would have been a proud aunt today.

Derek smiled down at both of them. "He looks like you." He said, smiling proudly at their perfect son.

Meredith's nose scrunched up "I don't know. He has your chin and your hair. My color, but definitely your hair. I was born bald. "

They both looked up as Zola said "Wat's at?" She asked pointing to baby Derek.

"That's your little brother." Meredith said gently, as to not to alarm either her or Derek. Zola seemed content with the answer for now at least.

Just as the family was getting comfortable, baby Derek started crying. "I'm going to take Zola to Aunt Cristina. Then we can see what's wrong with this little guy." Derek said, seeing Meredith slightly alarmed at the newborn crying, being used to an older toddler.

Derek found Cristina in the hallway outside their room. "Cristina can you take Zo for a little while? The baby won't stop crying. It'd be easier to calm him down without her in the room, just for now." He asked.

Cristina smiled at Zola. "Come here Zo. Go take care of the little monster." She told Derek.

Derek went back into Meredith's room, where she was trying to calm down the baby. "Mer, do you think he's hungry?"

"Well I… I guess so." She said. Derek held his namesake son as she readjusted her gown. "Just relax; he'll latch on when he's ready." Derek said calmly, much to Meredith's curiosity. "Nancy's an OB. Three sisters out of four have kids."

Meredith nodded her head in understanding as she held baby Derek to her breast. After a few minutes, he calmed down enough to latch on, and started sucking eagerly. "Wow I guess he was hungry." Meredith said.

Derek watched her, noticing her wince a little. "You ok?" He asked.

"Yea, just not use to breastfeeding yet; feels a little weird." She said. Derek smiled at her as he watched his wife feed their son. "Stop staring at my breasts, Derek."

"I'm not staring; I'm watching my son eat his first meal." He said with a smile. After fifteen minutes of eating, the baby decided he was done. "Here, hand him to me. I'll burp him while you get redressed. "

Derek breathed in his son's newborn baby scent as he held him. He patted his tiny back, burping him gently. "You are so perfect, little one. Daddy loves you already." He whispered to Derek. Derek let out a little spit up. "Good job buddy." He cheered him on as he kissed his little head.

He looked down at Meredith in the hospital bed. "How are you feeling?" He asked, concern written on his face. He wasn't expecting to nearly lose his wife after she gave birth to their son.

She smiled at him. "Sore, mostly. Happy I made it. I was so scared when I saw the blood coming through my IV from my spleen. I thought I was going to leave you and the kids. I didn't want to leave you guys." Meredith said, a tear slipping down her cheek.

Derek sat on the bed and held baby Derek close to him, as he wiped her tear away. "When Cristina knocked on the NICU window, I knew. She didn't have to say anything. Alex stayed with Derek the whole time. I was so scared, too. I'm not even close to ready to lose you yet. I'm so happy you fought." He said before kissing her forehead tenderly.

He placed Derek back in her arms, his arm around her, holding her close with his finger in Derek's little grip. "I love you so much, Meredith. You were so brave through everything last night and today. And for the record, I don't like seeing you in pain."

Meredith smiled "I know you don't." She said, kissing his cheek.

"Are you going to be alright for a few minutes? I should go see if I can get a hold of Mom. She'll want to know about the newest addition to the Shepherd family. "

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Meredith promised.

Derek nodded, then headed towardthe attending's lounge. He stopped midway once he reached the door where he saw Callie and Arizona fighting.

"I uh..I just need my phone. Mer had the baby. I just need to call my mom. I'll be out in a second." He said awkwardly.

Callie's pained face softened slightly, and she managed a smile. Congrats Derek. I'll be down in a little while to visit you guys."

"Thanks." Derek said, grabbing his phone. After dialing his mom's number, he put his phone to his ear, waiting for her to pick up.

"Hello?" came her voice on the other end.

"Mom." He said, smiling brightly. "I would've called before, but there was a huge storm here. so we didn't have reception. I'm calling because you have a new grandson. Derek Bailey Shepherd." He said proudly.

"Oh Derek! I'm so happy for you! Tell Meredith congratulations from me."

"Thanks Mom. He's perfect. He looks mostly like Mer. He passed all the tests. I'll call you when I think it's safe to fly here. A lot of building and roads were damaged in the storm. and I don't know about the airport. The hospital lost power. Mer is such a strong person. Having a baby in no power." He said, still in awe over how brave she'd been.

After promising to call in the morning and send pictures of the baby, Derek ended the call, and walked back down the hallway toward Meredith's room.

"Mom said congratulations. You might be her new favorite child now that you gave birth to the first Shepherd grandson." Derek teased. He leaned in and kissed her again, unable to help himself. "I told Mom I'd let her know when it's safe to fly here."

**Thanks to Melissa for Pro-fee reading the changes. **


	2. start to recovery and namesakes

**Edited the chapter due to the baby's name. Thanks to Melissa/ Turnmygreif tograce for all the help and proofreading.**

Derek sat down next to Meredith's hospital bed. He had taken several pictures of baby Derek sleeping, but decided against taking any more for now in fear that the flash on his camera phone would wake him up. Meredith was sleeping as peacefully as she could thanks to the pain meds she was given after surgery.

Derek had his laptop out, watching both his baby boy and his wife sleep. As much as he wanted to stare at them both in quiet awe, his brain couldn't stop playing over the events of the night. He poured over articles about splenectomy recoveries, unable to keep from worrying about his wife.

Normally, patients made quick recoveries and transitioned back to their lives without any issues_. But could a surgeon?_Derek asked himself. Spleen removal meant that her body was more prone to infections, which wasn't exactly reassuring considering hospitals were breeding grounds for all sorts of contagious diseases. Not to mention, they now had two children to take care of on top of it.

Recovery would be tough, but Meredith was tougher. It was hell on him when he was shot, and then with his hand, and she'd been by his side the entire time. And he would do the same for her. Plus, he had family back on the east coast who would be willing to fly out. Maybe Kathleen, and surely his mother.

At the very least, he was glad that Owen had been more than willing to extend his paternity leave, so he would be there to help with the kids until Dr. Bailey and Meredith's OB cleared her to lift more than just the baby.

He smiled, pulled from his thoughts as he put his laptop down on his chair and stood up. He leaned over her bed and kissed her forehead as she stirred."Mmm" She moaned as she slowly woke up.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked.

She moved over slightly for him and patted the mattress, slightly telling him to lie down next to her. He took his shoes off and gently lay down next to her. "I'm alive." She said with a slight smile. "I'm just happy he's okay and healthy. I'll be sore for a while, but it's worth it for little Derek."

Derek kissed her cheek. "I know. You made both of my recoveries easier. I'm still grateful for that." He said sincerely.

"You help, too. Just being here and holding me helps." Meredith smiled. She nuzzled her face into his neck. "You are definitely Dr. McDreamy. I know you hate it, but you're my McDreamy . You make me smile and you make me feel loved, even when half my body hurts."

"Mmm, well I'm happy that I make it easier for you. And I love you." He said, kissing her forehead lightly. He reached for her hand as they lay in the bed together. "I don't know how you'll react to my suggestion but just hear me out."

"Ok." She said curiously.

"I know the recovery and the adjustment to your operation won't be easy on you or me. I was thinking Kathleen will want to come visit soon anyway; maybe we should talk to her. You don't have to answer right away, just think about it. I love you and I want the best for you." He said without putting any pressure on her to make a decision.

"Ok, I'll think about it." She pressed her lips to his neck and kissed him. "It amazes me how we don't really warn our patients about the pain after surgery."

He gave her hand a supportive squeeze. "I know. We really should do a better job of that. But to be fair, we were only prepared for labor and a possible c-section."

"I know. Although, labor hurts, too. I'm never complaining about cramps again. Labor is definitely called labor for a good reason." Meredith managed to laugh. "I'm still glad I got to experience it, though."

"I'm glad you got to do it, to. I told you it would happen. Remember? You have to have faith in your McDreamy." He chuckled.

"I do have faith in you." She said softly. "Do you think we might get lucky again?"

Derek smiled at his wife, who after giving birth and nearly dying just a few hours ago, was already pondering the idea of a third child. "Hmm, I hope so. I'd love to make lots of babies with you. Just no more scares anymore, please."

"I hope so, too. I know I probably sound crazy talking about another baby so soon. Blame the stupid hormones." Meredith giggled.

He smiled at her lovingly. "I still like the stupid hormones. Even if we can't have sex for weeks on end, still like the stupid hormones."

Bailey walked into the room, and smiled at the two of them. "I'm just here to check to see how you're feeling, Grey. Mind if I check your incision?"

"No, it's fine." Meredith said.

Miranda made sure Meredith's lower half was covered, then carefully rolled up her gown to expose her incision. She examined it gently before replacing the old gauze with a new one. "Looks like it's healing nicely."

"Thank you, Dr. Bailey." Meredith replied.

Derek reached for the baby in the bassinet next to the bed, careful not to wake him. "Miranda, I'd like you to meet our son, Derek Bailey Shepherd."

Miranda Bailey was never one to show much emotion, but when she heard the baby's name, she couldn't hide the tears that welled in her eyes. "You didn't have to do that," she said as Derek placed his son in Bailey's arms.

Derek smiled at her, "Miranda, you're a good friend. And Meredith wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you. It was only fitting that we named him after you. Our kids have a mom because of you."

"Thank you." Miranda was humbled by the gesture, and she slowly rocked the sleeping boy in her arm. "He's perfect."


	3. Complete amazement

Meredith smiled as she watched Miranda hold baby Derek, who looked up at the new face with a curious expression, taking in his surroundings. Bailey's pager beeped, and she quickly silenced it.

"Nurses' station is paging. Looks like I have to cut this visit short. But don't go anywhere; I'm not done making a fuss over that perfect face." She said as she handed the baby back to Derek.

"Come here little guy, come to Daddy." He said quietly. He held Derek close to him, smiling as the baby cooed softly. Derek's smile softened as he got a whiff of his son's obviously dirty diaper. "Wow buddy. You're not even a few hours old, and you have really powerful smelling poop." He said. He looked up at Mer. "I'll grab a nurse for a newborn diaper and wipes."

He passed little Derek over to Meredith, then disappeared out into the hall toward the NICU where Alex was still in charge for the night. "Karev, can a get a few diapers and wipes please?"

"Sure, man." Alex said. He gathered a pack of diapers and wipes from the shelf, giving them to Derek. "How are they doing?"

"Thanks." Derek said, accepting the supplies. "They're both great. The baby's just perfect. Mer's awake if you want to visit at some point."

"Good." Alex said in relief. "I'll be in as soon as it calms down in here."

"Okay."

Derek left the NICU and trekked back down the hall to Meredith's room, where she was already undressing little Derek on top of the bed. "He's mad at me for making him cold. You have to do it." Meredith said, trying to keep from crying when the baby fussed.

"I'll do it." Derek nodded, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He cooed at little Derek as he removed the dirty diaper. "I know, buddy. You don't like the cold, do you? Just give Daddy a second to put a new diaper on, and then you'll be nice and warm again." He said gently as he cleaned him off using the wipes. He placed the diaper underneath him and secured it around his son's waist.

Baby Derek calmed down once he was dry, and his crying ceased altogether after Derek wrapped him back in his blanket. "There we go. All better," Derek said, cuddling the baby against him and kissing his cheek. "You're gonna be Daddy's little buddy, huh?"

Meredith smiled as she watched the two of them together. "I love watching you be a daddy.".

Derek smiled back at her as he climbed into the bed again. "Well, that's good because I love watching you be a mommy." He said, leaning in to give her a kiss on the lips.

"I think Mommy should hold him again." Derek said as he placed baby Derek in her arms again. The baby cooed as he was placed in her arms, his blue eyes staring up at his mom.

Meredith smiled, tracing her finger over her son's soft cheek. "Hi, cutie. You are so perfect. Daddy was right. And I'm so glad you have Daddy's hair." She said as she kissed his sweet forehead. She placed her head on Derek's shoulder. "I love you."

Derek smiled down at her, kissing the back of her head. "You tired?"

"A little bit." Meredith said quietly. "I'm surprised, considering all the sleep that I got afterwards."

You've been through a lot in 24 hours. Your body needs rest. Get some sleep. I'm not going anywhere, I'll hold him until he goes to sleep. " He said gently. He took little Derek from her and placed him in the bassinet so he could help Meredith lay back down.

"There you go. You ok?" He asked as he pulled up her blankets.

"Yeah, I'm good." She said.

Derek smoothed her hair away from her forehead. "Love you. We'll both be here when you wake up. Get some rest." He said.

She smiled as she closed her eyes. "Okay. Love you, too."

Derek picked his son back up and sat down in the rocking chair next to her bed. The baby curled into him and closed his eyes, safe in his father's arms. "I'm so happy you're here, Derek Bailey. Mommy and I didn't think we'd ever have you. You'll always be our happy surprise. Your big sister, too."

Derek took in the details of the baby he already loved more than words, memorizing every inch of him. His lips, his nose, his fingers, everything. "Zozo is so excited you're here, little one. We'll see how she reacts at home. You're going to be in Mommy and my room for now. Zo might not like that." He chuckled, smiling when little Derek met his eyes.

"God, you're already so smart, aren't you?" Derek said proudly, still amazed by what he and Meredith had made.


	4. Namesakes and Storm Clearing

**I updated the last three chapters. *I changed the baby's name to Derek Bailey Shepherd, his name on the show. Thanks to TurnMyGriefToGrace for all her help. I can't wait for next week's show.**

Derek smiled at his friends, the fellow board members as they asked about what Zola thought of the new baby, and Meredith told them that Zola was so excited by her little brother, eager to take him to daycare for show and tell.

But it wasn't all fun and baby talk. The storm had caused chaos in the ER, and as much as they hated to have to turn away incoming patients, logistically, they had to shut it down for the time being until it could be restocked with supplies.

Just hours after giving birth, Meredith was already willing to pull her weight as a board member, offering to make calls and be discharged to free up a bed. Derek knew he shouldn't have been surprised by her eagerness, but still, he had to deny the request and plead with her to stay in bed.

"You just had major surgery. You're not going anywhere until you're cleared to go home." He said firmly, kissing her head. He smiled as they watched their friends interact with little Derek. "You'll be home in no time, don't worry. We'll stay home for a while and then go back to work when we're both ready. Between both of us, we can afford to take the time off.

"I know. I just want to make sure we can still be involved. New baby or not, we still own the hospital." Meredith reminded him.

"We can still do phone conferences, or have the board meetings at our house. It'll all work out. Plus, Zo needs time to adjust to the baby, too. We can all just be a family for a while." He said before laughing. "Wait until she finds out we can't return him once she gets bored with him. I remember that happened when my parents brought Amy home. After days of her screaming and crying, I asked them to take her back. I threw a tantrum when I realized she was a permanent family member."

"I'm sure Zo will have moments like that, too." Meredith couldn't help but agree, knowing having a new baby at home that needed half the attention would be an adjustment for her.

The board finally made the discussion to temporally close the ER until the storm subsided, and they could get it up and running again. While little Derek slept, Meredith made some phone calls, and Derek made quick rounds in the remaining ER patients and neuro wing, the smile never leaving his face despite the chaos. The joy of having a healthy son seemed to trump everything else.

He was so lucky to have them. He was lucky to have Meredith even after all they'd been through together. He was just as lucky to have his namesake son after all the pain of the miscarriage, and the struggle with infertility. Their little son was a miracle. He still was amazed when Meredith woke up and told him she wanted the baby named after him. There was a time when he never thought he would have kids, and now she had two with the love of his life.

He just hoped that Christina didn't call him Mini McDreamy, although he had a feeling that it would happen considering she'd called little Derek McBaby during Meredith's pregnancy. He really didn't mind, though. In fact, he was grateful for how far they'd come as friends. They were more tolerable of each other, and they understood that they were both Meredith's person. He accepted Cristina as a sort of sister-in-law. And for someone who wasn't interested in having kids of her own, she loved Zola and little Derek, and would do anything for them.

He smiled at Dr. Nelson as he passed him in the hallway, stopping to talk to him even though he was anxious to get back to his family.

"Hey, Derek. I just heard the news. Congratulations. Tell Dr. Grey I say congratulations as well. If you need anything, let me know." Dr. Nelson offered.

"Thank you, Jim. That means a lot." Derek said with a sincere smile. He knew Dr. Nelson was more than willing to run the neuro department while he was on paternity leave, and Derek admitted, he appreciated the offer if it meant spending more time with his wife and kids at home for a while.

When he reached Meredith's room, he found her quietly cooing to little Derek, his tiny hand wrapped firmly around her pinky. Derek quickly snapped another photo on his phone, wanting to remember the moment. He walked over to her bedside and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Hey there, Mommy." He greeted with a smile. "How are you guys doing?"

"We're good. He's already so alert, looking around at everything." Meredith said proudly. "How are your patients?"

"Neuro wing is still in one piece, which is good. The whole place is still having power issues, but hopefully, it'll be working again in a few hours." Derek said, sitting in the chair next to her bed.

"Good. That's good." Meredith said in relief.

"Nelson offered to help run the department when I'm out. I guess he can; I mean we're the board, so he still has to follow how the department should be run. And Owen will keep a lookout for me. But enough work talk. I wanna spent time with two out of three of my favorite people."

Baby Derek gurgled as his eyes settled on his dad, and Derek kissed his son's forehead gently. "Hey there, little one. You know, we have two things in common so far. One, we both love Mommy very much. Two, we have the same name. That was Mommy's idea."

A few moments later, Dr. Bailey appeared in the doorway. "How's our favorite namesake doing?" She asked.

"He's absolutely perfect, Bailey." Derek grinned.

Bailey smiled at the three of them. "That's good. I came to tell you guys that since your husband here is a capable attending surgeon, I'm okay with discharging you tomorrow as long as the weather clears up by then. I know you're already eager to get out of this place. But I want you to promise that if you have any issues at all, you'll come back."

"Deal." Meredith agreed.

"Alright, then. You'll have to come back in six weeks for your follow-up." Bailey instructed.

"I'll make sure she takes it easy." Derek assured her. "Now that the airport is re-opening, I'm going to give my mom a call, so she can come out for a visit. She was a navy nurse, so between the two of us, I think we can handle things around the house. I'll give you a call if we need anything."

"Sounds like a plan to me. I just wanted to stop in. I'll come check on you later." Bailey said before exiting the room.

Derek dialed his mom's number, and the phone rang twice before Carolyn answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ma. Everything's fine. I just wanted to call and let you know that the airport is supposed to re-open in a few hours, and Mer is allowed to sneak out early tomorrow." He said.

"Oh, good. I'm glad she's doing well. I've been worried sick about all of you." Carolyn said with a sigh. "I'll book the first flight I can find. I can't wait to come see you all."

"We can't wait to see you, either." Derek said happily. "I'll do my best to come pick you up when you get in. But if I get wrapped up with things at home, I'll see if one of our friends is available."

"That's fine, dear. I'll call you later on with my flight details, so we can arrange something." Carolyn said. "I love all of you. Be sure to get some rest."

"Okay, we will. Love you, too." He said before ending the call. "Mom said she'll be on the first flight she can get."

"Good." Meredith smiled.

"Grandma can't wait to meet you, buddy." Derek whispered to their son before kissing his cheek, happy at how life had turned out for all of them.

**Next chapter Mama Shep comes for a visit. Meredith and little Derek goes home. Hoping to have it up by the premire.**


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